


Charity Case

by rosieeexox



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-30
Updated: 2012-12-30
Packaged: 2017-11-22 22:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/615053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosieeexox/pseuds/rosieeexox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis Tomlinson was the kind of boy who liked to help people. When his local radio station hold a contest to raise money to Feed the Children, he’s more than willing to enter, and when the person who raises the most money also wins a date with Harry Styles, Louis couldn’t be happier. But what happens when Management finds out both boys haven’t been playing by the rules?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charity Case

**Author's Note:**

> One of the first fics I ever wrote/finished so leave me feedback here or on my tumblr. (fyeah-larryfics)

Louis always wondered what it would be like to be famous. But not just ordinary famous. Louis didn’t want to be famous for acting (although he was quite good at that) or singing (although he was quite good at that, too.) No, Louis Tomlinson wanted to be famous for helping people. He volunteered at every local soup kitchen, and was always the first name on the sign-up sheet for new charity fundraisers.

It was a Sunday morning, and Louis was on his way home from visiting his mom in Doncaster. He was about to pull into his driveway when something caught his attention on the radio.

…Feed the Children is hosting their annual fundraiser right here in London. Sign-ups will be held at the London Eye tomorrow at noon-

“Tomorrow at noon.” Louis repeated to himself as got out of the car, cutting the radio off. Little did he know, that if he had just kept the radio on for a minute longer, or left his mom’s house a minute later, he would have heard the prize for the woman who raises the most money.

The woman who raises the most money will not only receive a certificate and country-wide fame, but also a date with London’s most prized bachelor, Harry Styles.

-*-*-*-*-*

As Louis waited outside the Eye, he thought about how he was going to raise the money. He considered putting on a show on a street corner, and made a list in his head of all the songs he could sing, all the hilarious monologues he could act out, even all the dance routines he could remember from his summer drama program. It was probably all this thinking and planning that kept him from realizing he was the only boy on line, although he did fit in quite nicely. Louis wasn’t very tall, or muscular, or manly. He was actually quite feminine and flamboyant, which is perhaps why the organization leader for Feed the Children didn’t question as to why he was filling out an application. He was just about ready to hand it in when someone sat down next to him.

“Hi,” The boy smiled. “I’m Stan.”

“Louis.”

“It’s nice to see another guy here.” Stan chuckled.

It was then that Louis realized he and Stan were the only two boys in the entire lobby.

“Yeah. Weird innit?” Louis replied.

“Not really. Most guys aren’t interested in the grand prize.” Stan winked.

“Oh, I’m not either.” Louis said, standing up. “I don’t even know what it is. I just want to raise the money and help out.” And with that, Louis called out a final “Nice meeting you!” and walked away.

As soon as Louis received the information for the fundraiser, he began working out exactly how his show in the street would work out. He figured he could play his guitar one day, act out a few scenes the next, dance a little bit if he had to, and sing for the rest of the week. The fact that he only had until Saturday to raise as much money as he could was making him more anxious than excited. He made a sign that read “Please help Feed the Children” in colorful letters and was done by about 3 in the afternoon. Deciding that was enough time to raise at least a few pounds, Louis grabbed his guitar and was on his way.

Picking a spot right next to a fountain, Louis laid his guitar case on the ground, propped the sign up and began to play. A few people dropped some coins every once in a while, but not enough to buy a loaf of bread, let alone feed a starving kid. 

“Maybe you should sing.” A voice said, coming from behind him. 

As Louis turned around, his eye’s met with the prettiest color green he had ever seen.

“Sorry?” Louis asked. Studying the boy harder and noticing the very prominent dimples on each of his cheeks.

“Maybe you should sing.” The mysterious boy repeated, before tousling his curly, chocolate brown hair.

“Oh. I mean, well, yeah. I just.” Louis stuttered, suddenly very aware of everything the other boy was doing, like how he was suddenly no more than a few inches away from him.

“I’ll sing with you, if you want.” The boy smiled again and Louis thought he looked very familiar.

“Uh, well, uhm, sure. Do you, uh, know Look After You? By The Fray?” Louis asked.

“‘Course I do!” The other boy bounced to Louis’ side and looked at him, cueing him to play.

“I’m Louis, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Louis. I’m Harry. Now quit talking and strum that guitar!” Harry demanded playfully.

If I don’t say this now I will surely break  
As I’m leaving the one I want to take  
Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait  
My heart has started to separate

Oh, oh,  
Be my baby  
Ohhhhh  
Oh, oh  
Be my baby  
I’ll look after you

There now, steady love, so few come and don’t go  
Will you won’t you, be the one I’ll always know  
When I’m losing my control, the city spins around  
You’re the only one who knows, you slow it down

Oh, oh  
Be my baby  
Ohhhhhh  
Oh, oh  
Be my Baby  
I’ll look after you  
And I’ll look after you

Louis looked at the other boy with his mouth open. Harry’s voice was so rich and full of passion it made Louis want to cry. Their voices blended together perfectly and Harry even threw in a few harmonies, obviously showing off. In his moment of awe, Louis noticed his guitar case was practically overflowing with money, and there was quite a large group of people gathered around.

“Wow, you’re voice is great!” Louis exclaimed excitedly. “You should sing professionally or something.”

Harry laughed. “Yeah, maybe.”

“I’m serious! You’ve got one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. I’d definitely buy your CD or something.”

Harry blushed. “Thanks, Louis. You’re not so bad yourself.”

The two boys stared at each other for a few moments before Harry’s eye’s drifted to the overflowing guitar case.

“Looks like we made a lot of money together.” Harry winked.

“That we did! You can take half, if you want.” Louis offered.

“Depends, what do you need the money for? Or do you always walk around London with your guitar?”

“I’m actually trying to raise money for this charity called Feed the Children, and I only have until Saturday.” As Louis explained, he could have sworn he saw Harry’s eye’s widen a bit before regaining control.

“Oh, uh, well in that case, keep the money. Don’t wanna be the cause of hungry children.” Harry laughed nervously. “I, uhm, I have to go but, uh, I guess I’ll see you around.” Louis chuckled at Harry’s sudden babbling and couldn’t help but wonder why he was so nervous all of the sudden.

“You know where to find me.” Louis smiled.

“Yeah. I’ll see you, Louis.” Harry said, turning away.

“Bye, Harry!” Louis called after him. The crowd around Louis and his guitar began to disperse, most of them following in Harry’s direction quite hurriedly. But Louis didn’t take notice, he was much too busy humming the song he had just sung and wondering what song he should play tomorrow. What songs did gangly, green eyed, curly haired boys like? Louis was prepared to find out.

As Harry rounded the corner, he entered the first building he saw and went straight to the restroom. He couldn’t fight the smile off his face, regardless of how much shit he was going to get into when his manager’s found the videos of him and Louis singing, which were no doubt circling the internet at that exact moment. He should have figured Louis was trying to raise money for the charity. Granted, Harry didn’t realize boys had actually entered to raise money considering the grand prize was a date with himself. But Louis didn’t recognize him, which meant he probably had no idea who he was, which meant he probably didn’t know what the grand prize was. Harry came to the conclusion that Louis was raising money for the children, not the prize, and that did funny things to Harry’s stomach. Things like making him want to snog the living daylights out of Louis until his lips were bruised and pink and they were both out of breath.

Louis had to win the charity contest, and Harry knew exactly how he was going to make that happen.

Louis made sure to be especially careful when picking out his outfit for this afternoon. After all, there was a small chance he would be seeing Harry again. After his multiple searches on Google of “what do boys with curly hair like to listen to?” and “what type of shirts d curly haired boys prefer?” came up with little result, Louis decided to wear a pair of black skinny jeans and a white v-neck. He paired them with his white Converse and was pretty pleased with himself when he looked in the mirror. Deciding on what song to sing proved to be more difficult. After a few minutes of contemplation, Louis headed to his usual spot with confidence in his song choice.

His spot by the fountain was unusually crowded today, but Louis set up his guitar and case nonetheless. As he scanned crowd for a familiar head of curly hair and green eyes, Louis suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Here we was, standing in a crowd full of people ready to sing to raise money for a charity, and all he could think about was Harry. Louis shook his head clear of any thoughts of Harry and began to strum his guitar.  
Today is gonna be the day that they’re gonna throw it back to you  
By now you shoulda, somehow, realized what you gotta do  
I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now

Back beat, the word is on the street that the fire in your heart is out  
I’m sure you’ve heard it all before but you never really had a doubt  
I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now

And all the roads we have to walk are winding  
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding  
There are many things that I would like to say to you  
But I don’t know how

Because maybe  
You’re gonna be the one that saves me  
And after all  
You’re my wonderwall

As Louis sang the last line, he heard another voice blend with his. His head turned to see a boy with a mass of curly hair and piercing green eyes staring at him intently. The boys sang the rest of the song together and the crowd surrounding them seemed to triple in size. Louis began to pack up his guitar when he felt a hand grip his wrist and pull him into a small cafe.

“Hi.” Louis breathed.

“Hi.” Harry responded quietly.

“So, uhm…” Louis started awkwardly, but he was cut off by Harry’s finger on his lips. 

“Follow me.” Harry whispered before leading the way to the back of the small coffee shop. 

“Harry, what are you doing?” Louis asked breathlessly.

“I want to keep singing with you.” Harry stated suddenly.

“Ok?” Louis asked confusedly.

“Would that be ok?” Harry asked, his eyes focused on his fingers playing with the hem of his shirt.

“Harry, of course! You’re fantastic! You really should go professional, you know. I’d totally buy a CD if you had one. And now I’m babbling so I’ll just shut up now.” Louis blushed.

“You’re cute, Lou.” The nickname slipped off Harry’s tongue effortlessly. If Louis noticed, he showed nothing of it. 

“Why thank you, dear Harold.” Louis said dramatically, bowing for effect. “Now, if we’re going to be singing together, I do believe you’re going to have to come to my place to plan.”

“Oh is that so?” Harry asked, raising his eyebrow. Louis nodded. “Are you propositioning me, Louis?”

Louis blushed for the billionth time and slapped Harry playfully on the arm. “No, Harry. I’m just saying! It would make sense! Otherwise, how else are you supposed to know what song I plan on singing tomorrow?”

“You could always text me.” Harry replied, winking.

“I guess I could.” Louis replied. His disappointment disappearing momentarily at the thought of getting Harry’s phone number. 

The two exchanged phone numbers and goodbyes before Harry left hastily. By the time Louis exited the cafe, Harry was nowhere to be seen, but Louis thought nothing of it. He was too busy walking on air at the new advancement in his love life.

It was with a hop in his step that Louis made his way home. He was so blissfully unaware of his surroundings that he nearly tripped over the package on his front porch. Carrying it inside and setting it on the table, Louis opened his overflowing guitar case to count his earnings. He felt quite guilty to be keeping all of it, especially now that him and Harry would be singing together officially, but Harry refused to accept anything Louis tried to give him.

Louis had to count the money four times before he finally accepted that he had, in fact, made almost 2,000 pounds today. Adding that to the previous day and he had just about 4,000 pounds. Louis wondered how his competitors were doing and hoped they were more successful than him. As Louis’ mind started to wander as to what he would if he won, he realized he had no idea what the grand prize was.

Most guys aren’t interested in the grand prize. Stand words echoed in Louis head and he groaned. The grand prize was probably makeup or something, or a gift card to Victoria’s Secret.

As Louis typed in his question to Google, his mind flooded with other things women liked. Hair products, body spray, fruity shampoo, but nothing could prepare him for the answer he was about to discover. As the charity’s home page loaded, Louis’ eyes were met with a mop of curly hair and emerald green eyes.

“No. Fucking. Way. No fucking way. There’s no fucking way.” Louis yelled at his computer screen. He reloaded the page, just incase his eye’s were playing a trick on him, but sure enough, the emerald green eyes were staring back at him when the page loaded again.

Only taking his eyes off the screen long enough to dial the phone number, Louis called his best friend.

-*-*-*-*-*

“Wait, wait, wait.” The Irish boy held up his hands. “You mean to tell me that the Harry you’ve been on about for the past two days is the Harry Styles?”  
Louis groaned. “Yes, Niall. Now can you please be a little more concerned and a little less starstruck?”

“Concerned? About what?”

“I don’t know, maybe the fact that I’ve been singing on the streets of London with Harry freaking Styles!” Louis shouted, throwing his hands up in the air and walking back and forth between the couch on which they sat and the chair on the other side of the room.

“And that’s concerning how, exactly?” Niall asked.

“Because, well, because…I don’t know, because,” Louis stuttered.

“Exactly. Just calm down.”

“How am I supposed to calm down?” Louis yelled, still pacing.

“Because, he obviously likes you, and you obviously like him, so what’s the problem?”

Louis blushed. “I do not like him. Especially now that I know he’s a liar.”

“And what did he lie about, exactly?: Niall asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Well, nothing, technically. But he didn’t tell me he was Harry freaking Styles, and that’s kind of a big thing! Plus, he knew I was fundraising for Feed the Children and it just so happens that he’s the grand prize!” Louis’ voice was getting louder.

“Maybe he just really wanted to win a date with you.” Niall winked, causing the blush on Louis’ cheeks to deepen. “Just text him about whatever song you guys are singing today and act like nothing happened and then just causally ask him about it afterwards.”

“You want me to still sing with him today?!” Louis yelled in disbelief.

“Well, yeah. Why not?”

Louis sighed. Harry Styles was going to be the death of him, and Niall was going to be his assistant.

-*-*-*-*-*

Louis arrived to his usual spot by the fountain earlier than usual with hopes that if he started playing before Harry got there, that Harry wouldn’t join in. 

Settle down with me  
Cover me up  
Cuddle me in

Lie down with me  
And hold me in your arms

Louis’ insides churned as he saw a mop of curly hair making its way through the crowd. 

“Starting without me?” Harry mumbled with a smile and took his place besides Louis.

And your heart’s against my chest, your lips pressed in my neck  
I’m falling for your eyes, but they don’t know me yet  
And with a feeling I’ll forget, I’m in love now

Kiss me like you wanna be loved  
You wanna be loved  
You wanna be loved  
This feels like falling in love  
Falling in love  
We’re falling in love

As Louis sang the last line, his eyes locked with Harry’s. He wondered, for a moment, how long Harry had been staring at him. By the look on Harry’s face, Louis guessed it was a while. He didn’t realize he’d stopped playing until he registered the puzzled look on Harry’s face.

“I can’t do this.” Louis whispered to himself.

“Lou?”

“I can’t do this, Harry.” Louis said, louder. Their eyes locked and Harry nodded in realization.

Louis knew.

Before Harry could open his mouth to speak, Louis was turning around and walking away. Harry reached out to grab a hold of his arm, but Louis was already out of his reach. Panicking, Harry grabbed Louis’ guitar case and tried to catch up.

“Louis!” Harry called after him. “Louis! Wait! Stop, Louis!”

The older boy ignored the stabbing in his chest each time he heard Harry call out his name until he couldn’t take it anymore.

“What, Harry? What do you want?” Louis snapped, turning around and grabbing the guitar case out of his hand.

“Just let me explain.” Harry pleaded.

“Explain what? How you’re helping me win the fundraiser so I can get up in front of all of London and find out that I won a date with you just for your PR to shoot me down?” Louis yelled, turning to rest his head on the brick wall in front of him. “How you’re Harry fucking Styles and I’m just Louis Tomlinson and it would never work anyway? How you’re-“

“Louis, stop.” Harry said quietly. “I didn’t know you were in the fundraiser.” Louis scoffed. “Okay, I did know, but I didn’t care. That’s not why I did it. I did it because I liked singing with you. And you didn’t treat me like ‘Harry fucking Styles,’ you treated me like a normal person on the street. And I-” Harry stopped himself, his eyes widening at the sudden realization.

“You what.” Louis asked, still not facing the younger boy.

And I really, really like you. Harry thought to himself. “Nothing.”

“Then I guess we’re done here.” Louis said, defeated. 

“I guess so.”

“Good.” Louis spat, walking away.

Harry sighed. “Louis, wait.” Louis stopped but didn’t turn around. “I’m sorry, okay?”

“No Harry, it’s not okay.” Louis turned around halfway. “Just…don’t show up at the fountain tomorrow. Or any other day for that matter, alright?” Without waiting for an answer, Louis continued down the street and out of sight.

Harry stood there for a few minutes after he could no longer see the outline of Louis walking down the sidewalk trying to compose himself.

He wanted to break down and cry. He wanted to chase after Louis and hug him and apologize until he forgave him. He wanted to tell him everything he’s been feeling since they met.

But, most of all, he wanted to win Louis back.

-*-*-*-*-*

The rest of the week past by slowly and rapidly at the same time. Everyday Louis would wake up, go to the fountain, sing his heart out and then return home. As he sang, he would hope that every head of curly hair belonged to a certain green eyed boy, but also pray that it wasn’t so he wouldn’t have to fight the urge to run up to him and hug him and whisper apologies and forgiveness into the crook of his neck. 

As luck, or misfortune, would have it, the one head of curly hair that Louis did and did not want to see was always there; out of sight. As hard as he tried to listen when Louis told him to stay far away from the fountain, Harry just couldn’t do it. He missed the sound of his voice, the piercing blue eyes and the tufts of brown hair that stuck up from Louis messing with it all the time. Maybe it was the fact that Louis was doing this for the children and not the prize that drew Harry to him, but maybe it was something else. But, before Harry could ever figure it out, the song Louis was singing would end, leaving Harry to focus on staying out of sight while the crowd dispersed.

There were times, though, that Harry thought about running up to Louis in the middle of the song and hugging him until he mumbled that he forgave him. Like on Thursday. Louis stood in front of the fountain like always, but instead of his casual colored skinny jeans and t-shirt, he wore a dark grey v-neck and black skinny jeans. Something inside Harry’s stomach churned and he had to physically stop himself from begging Louis for forgiveness in front of everyone. Maybe it was the fact that Louis’ eyes looked extra blue that day, or that Louis was singing his favorite Coldplay song, or that it almost seemed like Louis was constantly scanning the crowd. But, whatever it was, it wasn’t enough to move Harry from his spot just out of Louis’ eyesight. 

-*-*-*-*-*

When Louis woke up on Saturday, his first thought was not that he was being forced to see Harry today. Or that he finally had an excuse to see those beautiful green eyes. No, Louis’ first thought was anything but that. He also didn’t wonder how Harry liked his eggs while he ate his breakfast, or what Harry’s favorite color was as he dressed himself. Louis’ only thought was that he had to hand in all 7,250 pounds that he made this week to help the fundraiser. 

On his way to The Eye, Louis also didn’t think about how it would feel to walk around London with Harry’s hand in his. Or sit on the park bench with Harry’s curls tickling his neck. Or what it would feel like to ki-

“Hey!” A voice interrupted Louis not thinking about Harry. “Louis, right?”

Louis smiled at the familiar face. “Hey Stan.”

“So, how much did you make?” Stan stuttered at Louis’ face. “I mean, uh, I guess that wasn’t polite, was it? Sorry, I, uh I got about 800.”

Louis felt all the blood rush from his face. What if all the others made as little as Stan? Of course no one made as much money as him, because no one else had Harry fucking Styles helping them.

“You okay, mate?” Stan asked, breaking Louis from his thoughts yet again.

“Yeah, uh, its just, wow. That’s a lot. Great job, mate.” Louis congratulated him.

Stan beamed. “Thanks, man. Let’s go, eh?”

Louis followed behind Stan as they made their way to the line. Louis made sure to stuff the money in the envelope as quickly as possible and write the number as small as he could manage in the top right corner. Then, Louis and Stan filed into the auditorium where they served muffins and refreshments while they waited for the winner and total to be announced. 

Louis listened to Stan ramble about school, his mom, his boyfriend (or lack thereof) and anything else Stan felt like sharing. He would contribute a nod or a “yeah” every once in a while to make Stan think he was listening, but he was really only scanning the room for curly hair or gangly limbs or bright green eyes. 

When a gray-haired man in a black suit tapped on the microphone, Stan and Louis immediately shifted their attention to the front of the room.

“Welcome ladies.” The man said, adding “and gentlemen” as an afterthought. “My name is Garrett Brown and I would like to personally thank you for all your help in raising money to help Feed the Children.” Applause sounded and Louis joined in halfheartedly. “The total has been counted and a winner has been picked” The room got sickeningly quiet and Louis felt like his heart was in his throat. Garrett opened the envelope and lifted the microphone to his lips. “The total amount you raised this week was…82,030!”

The entire room filled with cheers and applause and Louis let out a sigh of relief. He had only contributed a small fraction of that. Someone had to have collected more than him. After the room quieted down, Garrett spoke again.

“Now, for the winner…” Garrett said, opening another envelope. As he lifts the microphone to his lips for a second time, Louis doesn’t think he’s ever been this nervous in his entire life. “The winner of the Feed the Children fundraiser is…Becky Malloby!” A screech sounded somewhere near the front of the room as a middle-aged woman ran up to join the man with the microphone. Something that felt like relief and disappointment swarmed Louis’ stomach. 

Stan groaned. “It’s always the oldies, innit?” The only response Louis could manage was a light, forced chuckle. 

“Mrs. Malloby here managed to raise nearly 13,000 pounds! Can we get another round of applause?” Garrett announced. “Now, Becky, how excited are you for your date with the lovely Harry Styles?” Louis was going to be sick. He had to leave the room. There was no way he was going to be able to stand here and listen to this woman talk about excited and honored she was to-

“Actually, Garrett, I’m going to have to turn down that part of the grand prize.” Becky chuckled nervously. “See, my husband doesn’t quite like the idea.” The crowd laughed and Louis felt his heart pump relief through his entire body.

“Well then.” Garrett laughed. “I guess we’ll pass the date along to the second place winner the, shall we?” There was some mumbling between Garrett and a small, blonde woman before he was handed another slip of paper. “So, the winner of the date with Harry Styles is…Louise Tomlinson.” Relief, then paralyzing fear overtook Louis’ body. “Louise?” Garrett called again. Looking at the paper, Garret chuckled to himself. “Oh, I’m sorry, it’s Louis! Louis Tomlinson, where are you lad?”

“Isn’t that you?” Stan asked Louis excitedly. Louis nodded slowly. “Right here!” Stan called out. “Louis Tomlinson is right here!” Garrett smiled welcomingly as Stan escorted him to the front of the room. Louis ignored the glares and whispered judgements as he passed the disappointed woman in the crowd.

“Let’s have a round of applause for Louis Tomlinson, everyone!” Garrett shouted. “Now, Louis, how much money did you raise?”

“Uh, a little over, uh, s-seven thousand.” Louis whispered.

“Amazing! And how did you raise the money?”

Louis’ insides churned. By cheating. Louis thought. “I, uh, I sang in London and left m-my, uhm, my guitar case open.”

“Brilliant!” Garrett seemed sincerely impressed. “Mind singing something for us?” The horrified look Louis gave him caused Garrett to chuckle again. “I’m just kidding, mate. Harry will be contacting you later tonight for details on your date tonight. And a massive thank you to everyone who participated in this years fundraiser! Join us next year for another chance to win a date with London’s most eligible bachelor.” Garrett winked at Louis and then was gone.

Louis walked back to his house in a pure state of shock. He hadn’t even realized his phone has buzzed in his pocket until he saw 1 New Message lit up on the screen when he set it down on the table.

hey Lou, see u at 8. dress nice ;)

\- Harry x

-*-*-*-*-*

Louis Tomlinson was not excited. Not in the slightest. He hadn’t spend the past 5 hours picking out the perfect outfit, or worrying about his hair, or googling what scent Harry liked best. No, Louis Tomlinson was calm, cool and collected as he practically molded into his couch, waiting. Or, at least, that’s what he was telling himself.

“Are you sure I look ok?” Louis asked nervously, turning to face his two best friends.

“You look fine, mate.” Niall and Liam assured him. “Absolutely brilliant.”

Louis checked himself out in the mirror for what seemed like the billionth time. He was wearing dark colored jeans, a pale-blue shirt that made his eyes pop, and a black vest. 

There was a knock at the door and Louis’ heart stopped.

“He’s here.”  
“Go on, then.” Liam smiled.

Louis opened the door slowly and his heart nearly exploded. Harry stood there on his doorstep wearing a light blue shirt, a black suit coat, black skinny jeans and a bow tie.

A fucking bow tie. Louis thought to himself.

“Ready to go?” Harry asked eagerly. Louis nodded.

“See you later, Lou!” Liam called out.

“Yeah! Later, mate!” Niall shouted, closing the door.

-*-*-*-*-*

The ride to the restaurant was quiet; both boys not wanting to break the tension. Not to mention, Louis had sat on the complete opposite side of Harry in the limo (yeah, a fucking limo.) After about 20 minutes or so, they pulled up to a fancy-looking restaurant.

“We’re here.” Harry whispered, mostly to himself, before getting out of the limo. Louis was about to reach for the door when it opened, revealing Harry standing there with an outstretched hand. Louis ignored Harry’s arm and got out of the limo more gracefully than he had expected. 

“When we get in there,” Harry explained. “There’s probably going to be a lot of people staring at us. Just ignore them. There’ll be no paparazzi here, but there will be at our next stop.”

Before Louis could ask where else they could possibly be going, he was being pulled inside with Harry’s hand in his. As the reached their table, Louis tried to ignore the fact that Harry was still holding his hand. Once the waitress was done taking their drink orders (a diet coke for Louis and a beer for Harry) the two sat in an awkward silence.

“So, you’re still mad at me then?” Harry asked.

Louis nodded.

“Are you ever going to forgive me?”

Louis shrugged.

“Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”

“You could fuck off.” Louis mumbled.

“Sorry?”

“I said,” Louis started, louder. “You could fuck off.”

“You can’t stay mad at me forever, Lou.” Harry grumbled.

“Don’t call me that.”

“What? Lou?” Harry smirked. “Lou, Lou, Lou, Lou, Lou!”

“Knock it off, Harry.”

“Why, Lou? What’s the matter, Lou? Does this bother you, Lou? Why are you mad at me, Lou? Please forgive me, Lou! Please, Lou, please.”

Louis chuckled in spite of himself, and Harry sighed happily.

After the waitress took their food orders, the two started to talk more. Louis completely forgot why he was mad at Harry, and Harry completely forgot that Louis was mad at him in the first place. Harry talked Louis out of staying for dessert with the promise that he “had something better in mind.” In all honestly, it was the smirk that did it. Louis couldn’t handle that stupid little smirk Harry did when he knew he was about to get his way.

When the two made their way back to the limo, Harry made it a point to sit directly next to Louis.

“Oi, Harry! Sit on my lap, why don’t you?” Louis teased.

“Temping, Lou.” Harry smirked. “But I think I’ll save that for later.” 

Louis laughed, but on the inside, his heart was pounding a billion times per second at the thought of Harry on his lap. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, in which Louis spent looking out the window, Harry spoke, his voice cracking slightly.

“I really am sorry for not telling you.”

Louis sighed. “I shouldn’t have overreacted.”

“Louis, no.” Harry said, louder than he intended. “You had every right to, I’m sorry. It was kind of a big secret to keep from you.”

“It’s alright, Harry. Really.” Louis smiled.

“Good.” Harry beamed, resting his head on Louis’ shoulder. “Because I like this.”

Louis rested his head on top of Harry’s, praying that the curly haired boy couldn’t feel his heart beating. “If I agree, will you tell me where we’re going?”

Harry tilted his head up so their eyes met and smirked. “Not a chance, Lou.”

-*-*-*-*-*

“Milkshake City?!” Louis exclaimed excitedly when the sign came into view.

“Geez, Lou. You’re like a little kid on Christmas.” Harry teased.

Once they were inside, Louis burst into a fit of laughter. 

“Will you stop it? We’re in public. Honestly, Lou. What is so funny?” Harry said, faking embarrassment.

“They have Harry Styles milkshake.” Louis said through bits of laughter.

Harry chuckled as Louis ordered, before ordering a banana smoothie for himself.

“I’m actually afraid to try this.” Louis stared at his milkshake inquisitively before taking a sip. No more than a second later, he pulled a face that resembled someone who was about to throw up, but was trying to be polite.

“Is it really that awful” Harry asked, mock hurt.

“You’ve never had it?” Louis asked in disbelief.

“No.” Harry admits as Louis pushes the offending milkshake towards him.

Harry sips the drink and makes a sound of approval. “Chocolate and raspberries, my favorite.” 

Louis makes a disgusted face and reaches for Harry’s drink. “I’ll have yours, then.”

“We can share mine.” Harry corrects.

They pass the smoothie back and forth a few times before Harry gets up and grabs another straw. Both boys go to drink at the same time and a camera flashes.

Harry’s head whips towards the window to see several men with cameras. Harry chuckles. “That picture’ll be on the front page tomorrow.”

Louis laughs and makes a note to warn Niall, Liam and his family before any of them are thrown into cardiac arrest tomorrow morning.

The boys spend a few more minutes in Milkshake City talking and laughing and finishing their drinks before they’re both back in the limo headed towards Louis’ house.

-*-*-*-*-*

Hesitation is felt on both ends as the limo pulls up in front of Louis’ house.

“I’ll walk you to your door.” Harry offers.

Louis nods in approval and the two make their way towards Louis’ front door.

“I had fun today, Harry.” Louis says quietly.

“Good.” Harry smiles. 

They’re standing on Louis’ front porch, no more than a few centimeters between them. Louis suddenly feels Harry’s breath mixing with his and his heart starts to speed up. This is it. Harry’s going to kiss him. Harry’s going to kiss him, Louis Tomlinson. Harry’s going to-

“LOUEHHHHHH!” Niall yells, swinging open the door. Both boys jump back a bit and Louis is sure his face is the color of a tomato.

A second later, Liam appears and pulls the obviously drunk Niall back inside, mouthing a quick “Sorry.” before shutting the door.

“You live with them?” Harry asks, taking a step closer to Louis.

“No,” Louis sighs. “I guess they were waiting for me to get back and Niall helped himself to my alcohol cabinet.”

Harry chuckled, patting Louis on the shoulder before turning to head towards the awaiting limo.

“I’ll see you around, Louis.” Harry smiles and waves, and then he’s gone.

Louis waves back and steps inside his house, ignoring the disappointment swelling in his chest.

-*-*-*-*-*

When Harry walks into a meeting the next morning, he’s met by the morning paper and his PR, Hannah. Expecting some kind of lecture or punishment, Harry closes his eyes and prepares for the worst.

“The press is having a field day.” Hannah says, but her voice isn’t angry. “They’re eating this stuff up!” Hannah goes on and on about all the great publicity Harry’s getting, but all he can think about is how badly he wants to see Louis again. 

“Harry? Are you listening to me?” Hannah asks, breaking Harry out of his thoughts of blue eyes and strawberry banana smoothies.

“What? Yeah. What?” Harry stutters.

Hannah sighs. “I said, I want you to take Louis out again. In public, obviously”

Harry smiles.

“Gladly.”

-*-*-*-*-*

movie tonight? x

Louis stared at the text he’d gotten for a few minutes, processing the fact that he was about to go on a second date with Harry.

miss me already, haz? it’s barely been 24 hours ;)

Louis was about to put his phone back on his desk when it beeped.

giving me a nickname already, lou? i’ll pick you up at 7 xxx

The three x’s at the end of the text had Louis’ heart pounding. He looked at the clock and groaned when he saw it was only 2 in the afternoon. After dialing up Liam’s number, Louis wished he could be surprised Niall was the one to answer.

“Hey Louis!” Niall yelled. “What’s the matter? Harry not around?” He teased.

“Actually,” Louis laughed. “I don’t have plans with Harry for another 5 hours. Mind coming over? Liam, too, obviously.”

“Oh, I see. We’re second choice now, are we, mate?” Liam’s voice was heard in the distance.

“You know I could never replace you, Li” Louis shouted, guessing he was on speaker phone. “Now put your clothes back on and come over.” Just as Louis was about to hang up he yelled “And take a shower!” and hung up before either of them could confirm or deny one was needed.

-*-*-*-*-*

No more than 20 minutes later, Louis, Niall and Liam sat on Louis’ bed debating on what movie to watch and what pizza toppings to add. Niall took it upon himself to order a whole pepperoni pizza for himself, so Louis picked the movie.

“C’mon Louis!” Niall groaned. “Love, Actually? Seriously?”

“What?” Louis blushed. “It’s Harry’s favorite movie and I’ve never seen it!”

Liam stared at him in disbelief. “You went out and bought his favorite movie just so you could watch it?”

“How do you even know his favorite movie?” Niall asked with a smirk.

Louis’ blush deepened. “I didn’t buy it, I borrowed it from Lottie! And it came up at dinner last night, if you must know.” Louis defended himself, pretending to be offended.

“Whatever, mate.” Niall laughed. “Just put the movie in and let’s get this over with.”

-*-*-*-*-*

Three hours and two pizzas later, Louis was frantically running around his room in search for an outfit; holding up different articles of clothing and asking questions like “Is this too dressy for a movie date?” and “Are these jeans too tight?” and “Would it be cheesy to wear Harry’s favorite color?”

After Liam’s intervention, Louis was ready to go, dressed in black skinny jeans and a deep red t-shirt. Louis looked at the clock and noticed he still had about 45 minutes before Harry would show up. Louis sighed.

“You’re a sad sight, Lou.” Niall teased.

“Shut up.” Louis groaned, flopping face first into his bed.

A horn sounded outside and Louis shot up. “He’s here.”

The two other boys followed Louis downstairs and practically tripped over him when he stopped at his front door. Louis glared at them before opening the door.

“Hey Harry!” Niall shouted once the curly haired boy could be seen.

“Hey. Niall, right?” Harry smiled and Louis almost died when he saw the dimple that formed on Harry’s cheek.

Yeah!” Niall nodded enthusiastically. “And this is Liam.”

“Nice to officially meet you.” Harry’s smile widened.

“Alright, that’s enough of that, let’s go.” Louis said, glaring at his friends again before dragging Harry down the porch and towards the sidewalk.

“Eager, are we?” Harry smirked.

“Shut it, Styles.” Louis mumbled.

Louis opened the door to the black Range Rover and nearly sat on one of the passengers already inside.

“Oh!” Louis exclaimed. “Sorry! Didn’t know anyone else was in here!”

Harry chuckled and Louis shot him a glare.

“This is Zayn, my best mate, and his girlfriend, Hannah.” Harry said, gesturing to the dark haired boy and the pretty blonde next to him to whom Louis almost sat on.

“Nice to meet you!” Louis beamed, climbing into the car after both of them had scooted down.

The ride to the movie theater was filled with more proper introductions and small talk. Louis’ right side felt unusually empty without a certain mop of curly hair to fill it the way Hannah was filling Zayn’s. As if sensing his loneliness, Harry reached back from the front seat so rest his hand on Louis’ knee.

Hannah looked at Harry and nodded, and Harry immediately removed his hand. Louis furrowed his brow in confusion, and Zayn quickly brought up a conversation about what movie they were going to see.

“I was thinking either Finding Nemo in 3D,” Zayn made a noise of protest. “or The Possession.” Harry suggested.

Louis gulped. He hated scary movies. But Zayn whoop’ed and Harry laughed in agreement.

When they got to the theater, Louis was the last one to get out of the car, hoping to get a second to talk to Harry alone. Harry seemed to take the hint because he trailed behind Zayn and Hannah, who were excitedly bouncing towards the ticket booth.

“Sorry about before.” Harry murmured. “Hannah’s my, uh, my PR. I met her through Zayn when I first started singing and I convinced my label to hire her.”

Louis’ heartbeat sped up. “Does she not like me or something?”

“She does, promise.” Harry assured him. “It’s just, uh, it’s complicated.” Harry mentally kicked himself. That was lie number one. He wanted to tell Louis the truth. That Hannah explained to him on the way to Louis’ house that this arrangement was for publicity only and to “not get attached to a charity case.”

Louis seemed satisfied with the answer though, because he shrugged and linked his arm with Harry’s and walked into the theater.

“By the way,” Louis whispered as they four of them made their way to their seats. “I hate scary movies. So I hope you don’t mind me hiding my face in your jacket the entire time.”

Harry chucked. “I don’t mind at all. I’ll even hold your hand.”

Louis stomach did a billion happy somersaults.

-*-*-*-*-*

After the movie, (which Louis escaped with only a few girly yelps) Louis followed Harry out the front doors. He was immediately blinded by dozens of camera flashes going off.

“Shit!” Harry cursed, grabbing Louis’ hand and leading him to the car parked at the corner.

Once they were safely inside the Range Rover, the car started to pull away.

“Wait!” Louis said, sitting up straight. “What about Hannah and Zayn?”

Harry stiffened next to him. “They, uh, went out the back.”

“Why?”

“I, uh, I wanted time alone with you so Hannah arranged a different ride.” Harry said confidently. Lie number two.

Louis chuckled and snuggled into Harry’s side.

Harry hated himself more and more as the car ride continued. It’s only a 20 minute drive back to Louis’ house and Harry managed to lie three more times.

Lie number three was when Harry said he didn’t know the paparazzi was going to be there. Lie number four was when Harry said he wasn’t in the mood for dessert, and lie number five was when Harry said he couldn’t come inside and watch Love, Actually with Louis because he had to be up early the next day.

Of course, Harry couldn’t resist walking Louis to his door. But, with the guilt bubbling in his stomach, he couldn’t even bring himself to press his lips to Louis’ cheek. Ignoring the disappointment that filled the blue eyes in front of him, Harry smiled and waved as he made his way back to the car.

He was about to reach for the handle when he heard his name being called.

“Harry, wait!” Harry turned around to see Louis jogging towards him. “You forgot something.” Louis said, slightly out of breath.

Before Harry could ask what it was that he forgot, Louis was pressing a light kiss to his lips.

Harry smiled stupidly big as Louis bounced back into his house, offering a wave before he closed the door. He barely made it halfway home before realization crashed over him. Louis had kissed him. He had lied to Louis, and Louis had kissed him. He had to bring Louis to his album premiere next week as the “charity case.” 

As Harry drove the rest of the way home, his mind was torn between LouisLouisLouis and liarliarliar. He was just about to flop onto his bed when his phone vibrated in his pocket with a message from Hannah.

Great job tonight! Paps got great pics! Last night we’ll need Louis is the premiere, so make sure he looks presentable. Don’t forget to write your speech for the party. Zayn says sweet dreams! xxx

Harry threw his phone on the bed with a loud grunt before collapsing next to it and falling asleep.

-*-*-*-*-*

Harry woke up the next morning with a stiff neck and an even guiltier conscience. He had several texts from Louis that had all gone unanswered.

hey haz, miss you already x

you home yet?

hope the kiss didn’t freak you out…

you probably fell asleep haha x

night harry.

Added to the fact that he slept until 2 in the afternoon, it was safe to guess that Louis was less than pleased with him. Harry immediately typed out a reply.

hey lou, sorry! i passed out the second i got home. i miss you too and the kiss definitely didn’t freak me out ;) ps how would you feel about being my date to my album premiere next week? xx

Louis’ reply came instantly.

i would love to :)

Harry smiled in spite of the turnout he knew the premiere would have. He sat down at his desk and tried to write his speech for the premiere, but all his mind could focus on was blue eyes and pink lips.

-*-*-*-*-*

Sine their movie date, Louis had only seen Harry once, and it was to get a suit fitted that Harry insisted on buying him. The paparazzi seemed to be more interested in Harry than usual, so he suggested laying low for a while. Louis was fine with it. After all, Harry was famous, and the pictures didn’t bother him (as long as they got his good side, of course.)

“Thanks for the suit.” Louis said, poking Harry’s side.

Harry hummed in response as they exited the shop.

“So, uh, I’ll pick you up at 8?” Harry asked, his eyes locked on the sidewalk.

“Sounds good.” Louis said quietly. 

Harry began to walk towards his car, so Louis unlocked the door to his car. Louis pretended not to notice the lack of a goodbye kiss, or the lack of eye contact, or the lack of conversation altogether. He’s probably just nervous about the premiere. Louis assured himself.

He was about to get in his car when he heard someone cough awkwardly behind him.

“Hey, Lou?” Harry asked, a smirk playing on his lips. “You forgot something.”

Louis smiled and threw himself into the taller boys arms. Their lips met and Louis did everything he could to hold back the groan as Harry’s hands found a firm grasp on his hips. He tangled his fingers in the curly locks and was pleasantly surprised when Harry pushed him up against the side of his car, deepening the kiss. A tongue darted across Louis’ lips and he happily opened his mouth, allowing Harry’s tongue to meet with his. Harry’s hand found its way up Louis’ back and gripped loosely on the back of Louis’ neck. Louis involuntarily moaned at the sudden realization of just how big Harry’s hands were.

The younger boy chuckled and pulled away, causing Louis to make a soft noise of disapproval. “I’ll see you at 8.” He smirked.

“Bye Harry.” Louis said, rolling his eyes.

-*-*-*-*

Louis woke up the next morning to a frantic banging on his front door. He grumbled unhappily as he made his way to the front door, the visitor still knocking excessively.

“What?” Louis snapped, throwing open the front door.

“Have you seen these?” Liam panted, holding up a few newspapers.

“No?” Louis asked confusedly.

“It’s all articles on you and Harry.”

“So?”

“Just…look.” Liam said softly, handing the stack of papers to Louis. 

Louis made his way over to the couch and spread the articles out on his coffee table. Each newspaper was covered with pictures of them from their first date at Milkshake City to their makeout session in front of the tailors. The pictures weren’t what bothered him, it was the headlines.

Harry Styles shares smoothie with charity winner.

Romantic movie night for Harry Styles and charity winner.

Feed the Children charity winner enjoys celebrity Harry Styles’ company.

Harry Styles buys charity winner a new suit.

Charity winner, Louis Tomlinson enjoys a snog from Harry Styles outside of Ray’s Suits and Tailors.

Louis shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“W-why do they keep referring to me as the charity winner?” Louis asked uncertainly.

“I dunno, Lou. But I have a feeling Harry is behind it.”

“No, Liam!” Louis yelled, getting up from his spot next to Liam on the couch. “You’re wrong. It’s just the paparazzi following us around!”

“Louis, listen to me. The newspapers barely print anything about him before the charity and now you and him are front page news for an entire week? It doesn’t add up.” Liam said softly.

“I know, but…” Louis trailed off. Liam offered him a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Louis shrugged it off. “I’ll talk to him tonight at the premiere, alright? Now go so I can start getting ready.” Louis said, playfully shoving Liam out of the door.

Once he was alone again, he sighed. His phone beeped in the other room that he had a new message from Harry.

excited for tonight. can’t wait to see you all dressed up in your suit ;)

Louis smiled. There was no way Harry was using him…right?

The ride to the premiere was silent except for Harry complimenting Louis on his suit. Harry seemed tense and Louis blamed it on the album premiere. When they pulled up to the event, the paparazzi were everywhere. Louis gulped. He was about to walk on the red carpet. With Harry.

“You’ll be fine, Lou.” Harry assured him, squeezing Louis’ hand.

Louis nodded and then Harry was stepping outside of the back of the limo into the flashing lights. Louis was about to climb out after him when Harry’s outstretched hand caught his eye. He took Harry’s hand in his and the two made their way inside, fingers interlocked.

“I think I might be blind, Haz.” Louis panted once the two were safely inside.

Harry pecked Louis’ eyelids lightly. “Better?”

“No.” Louis laughed, poking his tongue out. Harry had the sudden urge to lean forward and catch Louis’ tongue between his teeth, but decided better of it considering their surroundings.

Harry led Louis further into the crowd of people in the giant hall, their fingers still intertwined. Once they made it to the VIP table Harry motioned for Louis to sit.

“I’ll be right back.” Harry whispered, his breath hot on Louis’ neck. Louis nodded and smiled as Harry pressed a quick peck to his lips before disappearing.

-*-*-*-*-*

It had been almost a half an hour of Louis sitting at the table, nodding his head to the music, when a petite woman in a lavender pantsuit approached him.

“Are you Louis Tomlinson?” She asked politely.

“I am.” Louis nodded, confused.

“You’re here with Harry Styles, correct?” Louis nodded again. “You won the Feed the Children charity?”

“I did.”

“Well then, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dorothy Wilder and I run a charity that you may be familiar with called Make A Wish.” The woman extended her hand and Louis firmly shook it.

“Nice to meet you. I’m actually quite a fan of your fundraiser.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Dorothy smiled. “How would you like to work for us?”

Louis face lit up. “I-I would love to!”

“Great! Here’s my card, call me in the morning and I’ll give you more information.” Louis nodded enthusiastically. “Where is Harry, by the way?”

“I’m actually not sure. He sat me here and told me he’d be right back.”

Dorothy laughed. “Well, when you see him, tell him I said hello. He used to work for me, you know.”

“I didn’t know that.” Louis smiled. “But I’ll be sure to let him know you said hello.”

“Talk to you soon, Louis.” 

Louis sat there staring at the card in his hands for a few minutes before he decided to go look for Harry. He went in the general direction he saw Harry leave in and was eventually met with a door. Deciding there was no other way Harry could have gone, Louis opened it.

-*-*-*-*-*

“I must say, Harry,” Hannah started. “Louis sure does clean up good. This whole charity thing worked in our favor, didn’t it? I mean, the press is just eating up this ‘famous celebrity dates charity case’ bit.”

“Don’t call him that.” Harry spat.

“Someone’s touchy.” Hannah tutted. “Don’t worry, you can ditch the charity case after tonight.”

“I said not to call him that.” Harry repeated angrily.

“Honestly, Harry. What’s gotten into you?”

“I don’t want to end things with Louis.” Harry said defiantly.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“I dont understand. You actually like him?” Hannah asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, I do. I really, really do. And I don’t want to hurt him, or publicly humiliate him. I want to be with him.”

“Well you can’t.”

“Why?”

“It’s not part of the plan. Now go out there, sing your new song, make your speech, and then have Louis escorted out. We don’t need the charity case after this. He was just a way to build up your publicity. You know that. That’s why you agreed to the plan in the first place. Now get back out there!” Hannah instructed him.

A door slammed behind them and Harry turned around quick enough to see a head of feathery light brown hair running away.

-*-*-*-*-*

Once Louis entered the door, he was met with a long hallway with doors on both sides, and one direction in front of him. He could hear a voice similar to Harry’s and a woman coming from behind the door at the end of the hallway facing him. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, so he took a few steps closer. 

Once he was outside the door, he could see Hannah’s blonde hair and Harry’s curly locks. They looked like they were in the middle of an important discussion, so Louis turned away to leave. It wasn’t until he heard his name that he decided to open the door.

“Well you can’t.”

“Why?”

“It’s not part of the plan. Now go out there, sing your new song, make your speech, and then have Louis escorted out. We don’t need the charity case after this. He was just a way to build up your publicity. You know that. That’s why you agreed to the plan in the first place. Now get back out there!” 

Louis felt his eyes prick with tears. Harry was using him. Harry didn’t care about him, he was just stringing him along so he could get good publicity for his album. Harry didn’t want him.

Louis slammed the door shut behind him as he ran back down the hallway and into crowd of people. Not knowing what else to do, Louis ran to the bathroom. He locked himself in a stall and dialed Liam.

“Hello?” Liam answered on the second ring.

“Liam.” Louis choked out.

“Louis? What’s wrong?”

“Harry doesn’t…he was just…I need you to come pick me up.”

“Where are you?”

“Kings Plaza or something, I don’t know. Its for his album premiere. Liam, he was using me.”

“It’ll be ok, Louis. I’ll be right there.”

-*-*-*-*-*

“I really fucked up, Zayn.”

“You could still fix it.” Zayn said, resting a reassuring hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“I don’t even know where he is!” Harry cried. “I looked everywhere! He left. He’s gone.”

“Mate, he hasn’t left. He has to be here somewhere. No one’s left yet, I was by the doors the whole time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Ok.” Harry said, sitting up straighter. “I know what I have to do, then.”

“Go sing your song?” Zayn suggested hopefully.

Harry smirked. “Yup. Except it’s not going to be a song from my album.”

“I’m gonna get shit for this, aren’t I?” Zayn groaned.

“Probably.”

Louis was sitting in the restroom when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

im here right across the street. need me 2 come in?

He sent a quick reply saying he was on his way out, took one look in the mirror at his puffy bloodshot eyes, fixed his hair a bit, and walked out of the bathroom. As he was making his way past the hallway leading into the main room, a familiar voice filled the air, making Louis freeze in his place.  
Once upon a time  
I used to romanticize  
Used to be somebody, never mind  
I don’t miss it that much now  
I think it’s sinking in  
Days that I wonder where I’ve been  
And picture perfect porcelain  
But I won’t lose a pound 

Louis was still frozen in the entrance into the crowded room. He refused to turn around, but couldn’t bring himself to keep walking, either.

You say I would make a better liar  
And never face the music when it’s dire  
And I breathe disaster, ever after  
Don’t pull away from me now 

Slowly, Louis turned to face where the voice was coming from. He could barely see the curly hair on the pop star’s head, but he knew it was him.

Don’t you move  
Can’t you stay where you are, just for now  
I could be your perfect disaster  
You could be my ever after  
You could be my ever after, after all  
I could be your perfect disaster  
You could be my ever after 

Louis hadn’t even noticed he’d gravitated towards the entrance in to the main room, Harry’s voice pulling him in. He was close enough now that he could see Harry’s eyes roaming the crowd, looking with something that looked a lot like desperation in his eyes.

Apologies, I’m not myself but I can guarantee  
That when I get back, you won’t believe  
That you know me well  
Don’t want to think about it  
I’m fuckin’ tired of getting sick about it  
Now stand back up and be a man about it  
And fight for something, fight for something, fight for something, oh 

A buzz in Louis’ pocket brought him out of his trance; Liam was calling him.

“Hello?”

“Louis! I texted you that I was here like 5 minutes ago. Are you ok? Do you need me to come in? I can find a place to park and-“

“Liam, I’m fine. I’ll be right out.” Louis hung up the phone before Liam could respond. He was about to leave when Zayn caught his eye on the side of stage.

I would make a better liar  
I never face the music when it’s dire  
And I breathe disaster, ever after  
Don’t pull away from me now

Zayn was trying to explain something to someone who looked extremely eager to get onto the stage. After looking at them for a few seconds, Louis realized that person was Hannah. She shot a look in his general direction before storming off. Louis took that as his cue to leave, taking one last look at the stage.

Don’t you move  
Can’t you stay where you are, just for now  
I could be your perfect disaster  
You could my ever after  
Now you could be my ever after, after all  
I could be your perfect disaster  
You could be my ever after 

Harry looked so, so desperate. He was practically leaning off the end of the stage, studying the faces of everyone in the crowd as he sang. Zayn was looking at him desperately as well, and Louis hoped the pleading in his eye was enough for Zayn to keep quiet.

Nobody told ya’ this is gonna fold ya’  
We go marching in like toy soldiers  
To have and hold ya over sold ya  
They’re marching like toy soldiers 

Louis began to walk backwards, his eye’s never leaving the boy on stage. Harry’s roaming eyes got closer and closer as Louis retreated. Just as his eye’s scanned the last row of the crowd, a few feet from where Louis stood, he sagged his shoulders in defeat. Louis let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, only to suck it back in again when Harry looked towards the side of the stage at Zayn.

Somehow don’t you dare fail, fail me now, ever after  
Somehow don’t you dare fail, fail me now, ever after 

Zayn said nothing, but Louis knew you could see it in his expression. Before he knew it, blue eyes met with green.

Once upon a time  
This place was beautiful and mine  
But now it’s just a bottom line  
Barely comes to mind  
Ever after what is mine 

Louis couldn’t move. He was frozen to the spot. The only thing he could do was stare at Harry with his eyes wide and his jaw slack. He somehow managed to get his feet to start moving backwards again, but couldn’t take his eyes off Harry. 

I’ll be your disaster, ever after  
So fire away 

Another buzz in his hand broke him out of his trance, yet again and he was sprinting towards the exit. He was about to push through the doors when the final note filled his ears and followed him across the street, into Liam’s car, and all the way home.

Goodbye

-*-*-*-*-*

The car ride had been completely silent, and Louis was asleep in his bed before Liam could even take off his shoes. Not wanting to leave Louis alone all night, Liam set up the couch and was asleep within minutes.

When Louis woke up the next morning, he had almost forgotten last nights events. 

Almost.

But, before he could dwell on it too much, Liam was in his room shoving hot tea and a muffin in his face.

“Good morning, Lou!” He said cheerfully.

“‘Morning. Guessing you stayed the night?”

“Didn’t want you to be alone.”

Louis smiled in appreciation and took a sip of his tea.

“You have a message, by the way.”

“From who?”

“Uh, Dorothy Wilder or something?”

Louis jumped out of the bed and ran to the phone.

“She said there’s a premiere this Friday. You didn’t tell me you worked for Make a Wish! She wants you to call her, though, to discuss the details. I left her number by the phone.”

Louis picked up the sticky note and dialed the number. He was about to push ‘Call’ when he froze.

“What if…what if Harry’s at the premiere?” He asked quietly, putting the phone down.

“Don’t be stupid, Lou. This premiere is to raise money for Make a Wish. There’s going to be dozens of celebrities there, so even if he is there, you won’t even notice.”

Louis shot him a disbelieving look but called the number nonetheless.

After 15 minutes, Louis had an entire note page worth of instructions and no nails left to chew on. He was both excited and anxious. It was only Sunday, which meant he had 5 days to prepare for one of the most important nights of his life.

-*-*-*-*-*

“And you’re sure Louis is going to be there?” Harry asked Zayn nervously.

“He’s practically running the thing, mate.”

Harry bit his lip nervously. “He hasn’t called me since the premiere, Zayn. What if I really messed it up? What if he doesn’t want to see me?”

Zayn frowned. “I think if you get the chance to explain, there’s no way he can’t forgive you.”

Harry nodded. The Make a Wish premiere was only 3 days away, and Harry had no idea how he was going to get Louis to listen to him, but he knew he was going to try.

-*-*-*-*-*

Louis arrived at the premiere a few hours early. He nearly had a heart attack when Dorothy told him it was going to be at Kings Plaza. The hall looked exactly the same as last time, except now the wall’s were plastered with Louis’ name instead of Har-someone else’s.

“Everything looks great, Lou.” Dorothy smiled. Louis squeezed her hand in appreciation and smiled.

By 7 o’clock, the hall was filled with every celebrity Louis could think of. Minus one, of course. His breath got stuck in his throat when Zayn had arrived and Louis didn’t know if he was disappointed or relived that he was alone. 

What confused him even more was that Zayn merely nodded in his direction as he entered the hall. It was almost as if he was purposefully avoiding eye contact, but Louis thought nothing of it, brushing it off as Zayn being mad at him for being the reason Harry pulled that stunt at his premiere. 

-*-*-*-*-*

After a few hours of socializing and drinking and eating, Dorothy tapped on the mic, sending feedback echoing through the hall. The room quieted almost instantly and everyone’s attention was on her.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming out tonight.” She smiled. “If you haven’t already made a donation to the Make a Wish foundation and would like to, you can do so at any of the tables.” The room filled with applause. “Also, we just received an extremely generous donation and would like to present them with the very first Make a Wish donator of the month award!” More applause. ”But, before we do that, I know Louis wanted to make a speech. He arranged all of this, so give him a warm welcome. Louis, come on up!”

Louis made his way through the deafening applause to the stage. Once the microphone was in his hand, the room quieted. 

“Right, uh.” Louis cleared his throat. “I just wanted to thank you all really quickly for coming and supporting such an amazing cause. I don’t want to keep you too long because there’s still plenty of drink going around plenty of time for dancing.” The crowd laughed and Louis smiled to himself. “So, if Dorothy would be so kind as to give me the envelope with our lucky donator’s name in it, we can get this show back on the road.”

Dorothy appeared next to him, but motioned for him to give her the mic. Confused, Louis handed it over.

“Before Louis announces the winner, I wanted to inform you all that, because this is the first award, we decided to do something special.” The crowd was silent in anticipation, Louis included. “The winner will not only receive this extremely gorgeous plaque, but will also get to enjoy an entire day at the Make a Wish headquarters to see what their donation is helping us achieve.” The room burst into applause. “Also, another little surprise, Louis will be the one in charge of that.” Dorothy said quickly before handing Louis the envelope and microphone, and hurrying off the stage.

Louis laughed. “Well, you’re all just as surprised as I am. Now, for the winner…” The crowd quieted in anticipation for the second time as Louis opened the envelope. He removed the notecard and brought the mic up to his mouth. “The lucky donator who gets to spend an entire day with me at the Make a Wish headquarters is…” Louis opened the notecard slowly.

Harry Styles.

“Uhm,” Louis stutters, clearing his throat. “Harry Styles.”

The room is filled with applause and Louis wishes he could slap the smirk off of Harry’s stupid face as he makes his way towards the stage. Louis’ lips are pressed into a tight line as he shakes the taller boys hand before shoving the plaque into it.

He spends the rest of the evening avoiding Harry at all costs, which may or may not involve him spending almost an hour in one of the stalls in the women’s bathroom. He’s just about to sneak out the backdoor and escape to his car when he hears someone calling his name.

“Louis! Wait!”

Louis cringes and speeds up his step.

“Louis!” The voice calls again.

Louis is about to open the door when a hand comes from behind him, slamming it closed again. He turns on his heel to be met with the eyes of none other than Harry Styles. The taller boys’ face is so close to his that he can smell the peppermint gum in his mouth and everything else that Louis had come to know as Harry surrounds him, suffocating him.  
“What.” Louis snaps, not trusting his voice to say anything more.

“You never told me what time to come to your office.”

“What?” 

“For the tour?” Harry smirks and Louis does everything he can to stop himself from kissing the smirk off his face.

“Right.” Louis says, clearing his throat and composing himself. “Why don’t you show up at around 9 tomorrow? I’ll have one of the new interns show you around.”

“But you’re supposed to show me.” Harry all but whines.

“I’m busy tomorrow.”

“Monday, then.” Harry suggests, smirking again.

“Fine.” And with that, Louis opens the door and leaves.

-*-*-*-*-*

“I can’t go to work today, Liam. I’m sick.” Louis mumbles, coughing for good measure.

“Are you sure its not just the fact that you have to show Harry around today?”

Louis visibly stiffens.

“Thought so.” Liam smiles, ruffling his friends hair. “Go to work, Lou.”

After after Liam leaves, Louis finds the courage to go to work. After a few minutes of sitting in the parking lot, Louis finds the courage to actually get out of his car and enter MAW headquarters, the clock reading 9:05.

“Louis!” Harry calls the second Louis is through the door. “You’re late. Thought you were bailing on me.”

“Never, Haz.” Louis says before he can stop himself. He mentally curses himself and bites his lip to prevent speaking again.

He decides not to speak to Harry directly for the entire tour of the building, which Louis now finds to be extremely big and impossibly hard to talk about when Harry’s standing there staring at him the way Louis has missed so so much.

After Louis had shown Harry every room in the entire building, and Harry is done asking every question humanly possible about each room with the argument that he’s “just interested in knowing where his money is going to.” the two boys end up in the cafeteria.

“Why did you do it?” Louis asks, not looking up from the sandwich on his plate.

“What?” Harry sighs, trying to prolong the inevitable conversation they’re about to have.

“Lie.” Louis says bluntly.

“I didn’t lie.” Harry whispers, and Louis scoffs. “I didn’t! What you heard…it wasn’t…it isn’t what you think.”

“And how do you know what I think?”

“Because if you knew the truth, you wouldn’t have run out on me.” Harry mumbled.

“Tell me the truth, then.” Louis says, leaning back in his hair and crossing his arms.

“I, uhm.” Harry stutters. “I went to Hannah to, uh, to tell her I didn’t want to end things. She had this whole plan to get publicity for the album, and I went along with it. I thought I would be stuck with some annoying girl with too much makeup and an obnoxious laugh for a week, but instead I got you. When I found out you were raising money for the charity event Hannah had set up for me, I-“

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” Louis interrupted. “I had to find out on my own and nearly had a heart attack.”

“You’re still mad about that?” Harry asked in disbelief. Louis shrugged. “I didn’t want you to freak out. I mean, you obviously didn’t recognize me. I liked that you were raising money for the charity, not for me.”

Louis nodded, signaling for Harry to continue.

“So, uh, yeah. When you won, I was so happy. I had to change the dinner reservations and re-plan everything because, suddenly, I wasn’t taking out some boring fan, I was taking out you.”

“Did set it up so I’d win?” Louis whispered.

“What? No. You didn’t even win, Louis.” Harry defended. “It was pure luck, I swear.”

They were both quiet for a minute.

“You really thought I rigged it?” Harry asked, not making eye contact.

Louis felt guilty. Really, really guilty. Of course he hadn’t actually thought Harry rigged it. He was right, it was pure luck that the woman turned down the date. “No.” Louis whispered.

“Good.” Harry nodded, reaching his hand across the table to pat Louis’ hand softly. Louis didn’t physically react, but his heart leapt and fire shot through his entire body at the touch.

“What you heard,” Harry started suddenly. “When I was talking to Hannah. That, uhm, I was telling her how I didn’t want to end things, right?” Louis nodded. “Well, she was telling me how I had to, how you weren’t important anymore. But you are, Louis.”

“S’that why you donated all that money?”

“Hannah did, actually.”

Louis eyes practically bulged out of his head. “She what?!”

“Yeah, I, uhm, I only donated a couple hundred pounds, for the cause and everything. But she, uh, she added a couple thousand to my donation.”

“Did she talk Dorothy into forcing me to show you around headquarters, too?”

Harry laughed. “No, that, uh, that was me, actually. I used to work for her, you know.”

“I know.” Louis smiled.

The two boys sat there, smiling while they finished eating.

“So, Mr. Styles.” Louis smirked. “How come you were so eager to go on this incredibly boring tour this morning?”

“I was kind of hoping you’d give me another shot.” Harry said softly, biting his lip.

Louis is silent for a minute.

“Alright.”

“Yeah?” Harry asks, his eyes sparkling.

“Yeah.” Louis breathes.

And it’s all he can get out, really, before Harry’s lips are on his.


End file.
